A Spoiler You Just Can't Hide
by hiddenwriter691
Summary: He wiped his hands on his pants nervously, conscious that this was the Doctor's first impression of him. "My name is Asher Song, sir. My mother is River Song."
1. Another Song

A/N: I don't own it. I've just been on a River/Doctor obsession due to finals. Haha.

Chapter 1- The Son

Asher's hands shook as he tried to punch in numbers. The screen on the wristband blinked blue, fizzing, shocking his wrist before falling dead. "Damn," he swore, his head swimming with panic.

He shuffled through his mother's bag, looking for anything to get him out of here. He sat the bag on the damp and dirty floor, his hands nearly matching the floor they were so covered in grime.

He held a torch under his chin, shuffling through the bag. He found an old-fashioned cell phone. After turning it over in his hands, he pressed a button and it lit up, with full activation. He checked over his shoulder, still only hearing silence, before turning back to the phone.

There were only two numbers in it. One number was his own, a number he had especially for his mother to call him, from any place, in any time. The other was labeled only as "Sweetie."

He rang it.

"Hello?" A female Scottish accent rang through the line.

"Help me. I'm stuck, and River is gone." He whispered into the line, hoping against all hope that this person could help him.

"What about River? Who is this?" The woman on the line asked, sounding confused.

"I don't have time for this. Please. Can you get my coordinates from this?" He was desperate, and he heard a shuffle behind him.

"Hello?" A familiar male voice asked, almost demanding on the other end. "Who is this?"

The scuttling of the bug-like aliens beneath him made him jump, and he hardly even heard the man's question. "HELP ME!" He yelled, as a Salden Roach clamped hard onto his ankle.

He dropped the phone as he reached for his gun. Whipping it around, he pointed it down at the bug and shot, not even thinking about aim. The laser bullet missed, but lit up the drainage ditch before him, and the sight made him shiver in fear.

The Salda were standing behind their army of children with vice-like jaws. He kicked the one at his ankle against the wall, and its grip loosened for a moment.

One of the Salda pulled an oozing gun and settled it at Asher's chest. He shot his own blaster before the giant bug could get a shot off, but his aim was wide. As the bug set to recoil, the sound of mechanical wheezing filled the air, and he could taste the familiar flavor of the time vortex. His head spun.

A blue box appeared between he and his enemy.

A door opened, and a familiar head peeped out. The newcomer peered back at the alien attackers and then focused on the dirty boy with a bleeding ankle. "Oh my. Well come on then." The man reached a hand out, which the stranded boy grabbed with relief.

He fell onto the ground once he was inside the blue box, barely even registering the sound of the door closing or the whirring as the engines of this machine were activated. His mother's bag was next to him, spilling out, revealing his meager supplies.

He threw up, his stomach rejecting the day he had experienced, and he realized that he had been panicking continuously for the last twelve hours. He shivered, feeling sick still.

A hand was on his back, he realized, and he turned to see a beautiful redheaded woman rubbing his back. "Don't worry about that." She nodded toward his mess. Her familiar accent was comforting as she talked him off of the ground. "Come on now." She pulled his elbow, trying to get him up.

He finally looked at the world around him, the world in the blue box. Perhaps he would have found himself in awe on a normal day, but this day had left him tired, and he had seen fantastic things before.

He found the man who saved him and smiled. "Thank you, Doctor."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "No problem." He cleared his throat. "You know me?"

The younger man frowned. "Yes. Of course—" Suddenly, he understood, and his eyebrows rose. "You haven't met me yet."

His mother had told him that this day would come, a day when his friend the Doctor would not know him. He had thought it would be fun to know more than the Doctor for once, but now he just found it sad. He was tired and scared, and he could use a Doctor he knew.

"No, I'm afraid not," the Doctor stepped toward him, surveying him the way that he always did, but his gaze was more curious than the usual concerned. "Who are you?"

He wiped his hands on his pants nervously, conscious that this was the Doctor's first impression of him. "My name is Asher Song, sir. My mother is River Song."


	2. Reliable DNA

The Doctor did not visibly react, or at least, Asher did not think so. He knew the Time Lord, but not that well.

"But," the redhead stepped forward, her face confused, "I thought that River and the Doctor were…"

"Amelia." The Doctor's voice was firm, and something flickered in his eyes, but it disappeared quickly

The woman, Amy Pond—Asher remembered her name—stopped talking.

"River's your mum?" The Doctor asked but did not wait for an answer. "What's happened to her?"

"It was just supposed to be a dig. I begged to come along, you know, because I love when she lets me time travel." Asher lifted his wrist, showing off the vortex manipulator that he knew the Doctor did not like. "But then…there were these men…or they weren't men, but they were male humanoids. They had some low level psychic talent, and that's how they got so close without anyone hearing. I should've noticed-" Asher Song shook his head.

"Did they say anything? Did Riv—your mum—tell you anything before they took her?" The Doctor's eyes were intent, and Asher took a step back.

"No," he answered. "She just threw me her bag, and begged me to run. What was I supposed to do?"

"You called me. That's the most intelligent thing you could possibly do." The Doctor turned away from him, pacing around the TARDIS. Amy was cleaning up his sick with her husband Rory.

"I can clean that," he offered, not actually believing that he should be around the stuff until he felt better.

"Go talk to the Doctor, I think you've overwhelmed him." Rory nodded to the console of the spaceship, where the Doctor was fiddling with nothing in particular.

Asher bound up the stairs, taking in the magical box that he had heard about his whole life, but never been in. He surveyed the levers, _sensing_ the time vortex flowing around the console. He could identify what some of the pieces must do, but his mother had mentioned that a lot of the console could truly only be taught if one wanted to fly it well.

"I don't suppose you can fly the TARDIS, too?" The Doctor watched the boy curiously.

Asher shook his head. "This is my first time in the TARDIS." He grazed his fingers over the levers. "I think I could fly it well though." He grinned.

"Don't touch anything," the Doctor spoke sharply, although his eyes looked more weary than angry.

Asher held his hands behind his back, looking properly chastised anyway.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor waved his hands around his head, showing his frustration. "I just don't really know your mother yet either." He ran a hand through his hair, and then smirked. "Every time I think I've got something about her figured out…"

"If it makes you feel any better, she hides everything from me too," Asher offered, thinking of all of the secrets that his mother kept, saying it was for his safety. "She hardly ever lets me out of the house."

"Surely she would know that any child of hers would need to get out now and then?" The Doctor watched the boy curiously.

Asher shrugged. "I said the same thing. She said that she would tell me why when I'm older, and that I should remember that it is absolutely for my safety that I don't go with her everywhere."

The Doctor just watched him for a few long moments before quickly turning on his heel. "Right! Okay, let's get to work. River. River. What's happened to you? Asher, what kind of dig was this?" He was pointing at the boy, and Asher felt the same urgency to answer quickly as he always did when the Doctor talked to him.

"A fairly simple dig. It's why mum let me go." He leaned against a chair on the console, feeling exhausted. "We just used the manipulators, travelled to a time right before the Caves of Maltran fell in. Mum was coordinating for the grad students, and I went poking around."

Asher shook his head, ashamed. "It's why I didn't notice the kidnappers. I was distracted with some hieroglyphics that I found…anyway, Mum yelled my name and I ran back. The grad students had already time jumped back, but mum waited for me. By then the aliens had used an electromagnetic pulse and it shorted our vortex manipulators.

"We ran and ran, but eventually the aliens caught up to us. They were Martrans, and they brought the Salda for extra manpower. Those were the nasty buggers that you found me with. The Martrans gave up on me after they had mum…" He let his head fall, feeling helpless.

The Doctor nodded slowly, showing that he understood. "Martrans. Intelligent. They like time energy; they learned how to harness it into weaponry ages ago. But as far as I know they've never used time travelers as a source of energy."

The Doctor suddenly hit his head. "River's son! Come here. Genetic tracking."

Asher furrowed his brow, walking toward the Time Lord.

"Hand." The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver.

The boy supplied his hand, and the Doctor pricked his finger, causing a drop of blood to well up.

"Suck on that," the Doctor told him, while reading the numbers that the sonic was supplying.

Asher sucked on his injured finger, while the Doctor plugged his sonic into the console. He moved a few knobs around, pressed some random buttons, when Asher saw the familiar double helix model begin to form on the screen.

"Alright. Good old DNA, reliable as ever," the Doctor murmured to himself. "Tracking genetic code. Parental chromosomes."

The computer whirred ever so slightly before dinging, and coordinates appearing.

"No," the Doctor shook his head at the screen. "Don't locate Asher. Locate his mother." He pressed a few more buttons, and this time two sets of coordinates appeared on the screen.

"Well, I'm guessing this one is River," he pointed at the second set. "The first set of coordinates is right here, in the TARDIS, so I suppose it's tracking you."

The Doctor frowned, obviously not happy with the results. "Unless…" He pulled more levers and hit more buttons. "Of course River's child would mess with my TARDIS…" he spoke under his breath.

Suddenly, the Doctor stopped moving, his face going blank. Asher might not know the Doctor well, but he did know well enough to notice when the Time Lord thought of something that jarred him so completely that he visibly stopped breathing.

The Doctor's hands were shaking, a sight that Asher had never seen before.

"Amy!" The Doctor called his friend with a yelp, his voice strangled. He was pulling the raw DNA helix back onto the screen, watching as Asher's genetic code swirled, and bringing up the numerical stats of the molecule.

Amy appeared, obviously noticing the Doctor's agitated status as well as Asher. "What's wrong?"

The Doctor was muttering numbers to himself, and he continued to do so even as he looked at Amy. "Right," he whispered, his voice sounding terrified. "Amy, take Asher to get some clean clothes. Maybe a bath."

"Doctor?" Amy walked over to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Asher needs clothes, Amy." The Time Lord was obviously speaking on autopilot, not really thinking about the people around him at all.

"Rory can do that. Tell me what's wrong." She was looking at the screen too, but obviously had no idea what she was looking at.

"Doctor," Asher stepped next to him, reading the screen, trying his hardest to remember everything he knew about biology. "Is something wrong with my blood?"

The Doctor looked over at him, a strange look on his face. His eyes were wide with surprise and his voice was disbelieving as he said, "Ah, no. Just irregular. Not wrong." He cleared his throat, moving his gaze back to the screen. "You should really change clothes. The TARDIS will need more time to process your DNA anyway. And we need to be ready to save River."

Asher took one last look at the DNA before following Amy off of the flight deck. He glanced over his shoulder, and he met the Doctor's eyes.

The Time Lord looked terrified.


	3. An Attempt At Calm

**A/N: Don't own anything even relatively as cool as this.**

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><p>An Attempt At Calm<p>

"TARDIS," the Doctor's voice was raw as he tried to swallow the shock in his chest, "Expand the DNA scan beyond molecules. Look for time energy."

He could not stop staring at Asher's DNA, the molecules and numbers floating around on the screen like something out of a biology book, although not perhaps a biology book that existed, since Asher's DNA most certainly should not exist.

The Doctor rarely was speechless, but now he watched the TARDIS console mutely, too afraid to do anything, too afraid to probe into the secrets of Asher's DNA.

"It doesn't matter right now," he whispered to himself, trying to keep his thoughts straight. "Just like River's identity doesn't matter now."

His beloved machine whirred gently, as if it knew his turmoil. He paced as the results were processed.

"Doctor?" Rory's calm voice intruded upon the Doctor's rushing thoughts. "Are you alright? You seem a bit…panicky."

Rory Pond. Calm and sure and loving. The Doctor could use some of his calm right now; he fed off of the gentle and _calm_ concern of Amelia's husband. "Right. Yes." He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm fine. We've got River's coordinates." He grabbed the DNA results that printed from the console and stuffed them in his front pocket.

Rory watched the action, his eyebrows raised. "Okay. And your eyes are wider than the time that Amy jumped that huge chasm because…?"

"River has a son. That's a huge deal, yeah? Finding out your friend has a son." He began pulling levers on the console.

"Did you and River…I mean, Amy seemed to think that you and River were a _thing_. Is that…wrong?" Rory stumbled over his words, but the Timelord followed.

He watched Rory from the other side of the console. He hedged the question. "We have to save her now, because she is our friend. And we have something that belongs to her."

The male Pond stepped forward. "Yes, Doctor, I know. But does it bother you that River obviously has someone? Asher has to have a father."

The Doctor watched him for a long time, his face expressionless. When he finally spoke, his words were careful. "No. It doesn't bother me. River has a life. I don't live linearly. Humans do, and always will, even the ones who travel with me."

The human man had nothing to say to that, but he stayed still next to the Timelord at the console, being a silent presence. The Doctor found himself surprisingly comforted.

Soon, Amy returned with Asher, and the Doctor almost did not recognize the clean boy before him as the same one from before. With his skin clean, it was the same rich color as his mother's. His hair was perhaps a bit messy, but not really the same frizz as River, being a bit darker and straighter. His eyes were more youthful now, although preoccupied. The smooth angles of his face revealed that he was more youthful than the Doctor had previously guessed, perhaps mid to late teenage years rather than early twenties.

The Doctor grinned at the boy's clothing choice. Boots very similar to his own, and brown cargo pants with a tan t-shirt and a leather jacket. Archaeologist gear, with perhaps a bit of the adventurer thrown in. Just like River.

Asher met the Doctor's eyes with a questioning gaze, obviously remembering the strangeness from before.

"Come on then, let's get your mum now, yeah?" He pushed his thoughts from his mind, focusing on the adventure. "Come on! It's your first time in the TARDIS! Your mother would want you to enjoy this." He grinned, and Asher returned the gesture weakly.

When the other Song came to the console, the Doctor noticed the gun that hung from his waist. He frowned at it, and Asher noticed.

"I don't like to use it either. But, mum insists." He shrugged. "I've used it and it's come in handy, but I've never killed."

The Doctor nodded, watching as Asher surveyed the controls. The boy pulled a lever, and then pushed a button. Then he looked to the Doctor and asked, "Which one next?"

"How did you know the first two?" He pointed to a dial, letting Asher turn it until it clicked.

"The TARDIS tells you some of what to do, doesn't it? That's what mum says. It's like I can feel it." The boy was biting his tongue, and his eyebrow was raised as he watched the central core move up and down.

"Interesting," he commented, taking over the final stages of flight from the inexperienced traveler. "Though it usually doesn't psychically link to humans so quickly. Though I guess that the TARDIS seems to like River…and you two are linked, obviously."

The Doctor finished off the final steps required to get them to River, conscious of Asher's gaze.

"He never lets _River_ touch the console. Not without a fight," Rory pointed out to his wife, although certainly not quiet enough to hide his thoughts from the Timelord.

"He has a soft spot for kids," Amy's voice was as admiring as ever. "_Especially_ River Song's kid."

"Honestly, Amy!" The Doctor glared at her, and she only laughed.

Asher smiled. "I already knew that, Doctor. You forget I've met you."

"Right, right. Back to front timelines. Confusing." He leaned against the console, trying his hardest not to be frustrated. He _hated_ being the one who didn't know anything.

"Actually our timelines aren't like yours and mum's," Asher supplied, seemingly having no qualms about spoilers like his mother. "Yours and my timelines haven't been crossing in any particular order. I'm mostly linear, and I've never known what Doctor I'll get." He smiled at the Doctor, and his next words made the Doctor wonder if this boy could read his mind. "Don't worry. We haven't met all that often. I don't know you either, _nothing_ like mum."

"But shouldn't your mother's and your timeline be…I dunno, similar?" The Doctor's hand flared in some manner indicating a timestream.

"You know River Song, Doctor. She doesn't stay still for very long." Asher ran a hand through his hair, and the Doctor watched the action with interest. "I love my mum, do _not_ get me wrong. But neither is she the most traditional of mothers."

"And your dad?" The Doctor's voice was small, and he refused to look at Rory…or Amy, focusing on the boy.

Asher shrugged, fiddling self-consciously with a string hanging from his shirt, also avoiding eyes. "For all I know he's from four thousand years in the future. Or maybe the past." He sighed.

The TARDIS stopped wheezing, indicating that they had landed. The Doctor turned from his friends, forcing his mind to stop rolling over Asher's words. He needed to focus on saving River. Everything else could sort out later.

He pulled the screen over to where he and Asher stood. "We are on Martra Two. It's the Martran's industrial center. Your mother is somewhere within a mile of where we are."

"What are they doing with her?" Asher whispered, his voice raw.

The Doctor reached his hand out, letting it hover above the young man's shoulder for only a moment, before finally resting a comforting hand. "I'll get her back." He moved his face so that Asher had to look at him. Very intelligent, although young, eyes met his own, and the Doctor shivered.

"Trust me. I'm the Doctor."

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><p><strong>Not a lot of action in this chapter, sorry. But I believe a RiverDoctor meeting will be occurring in the next chapter. Probably. Review if you'd like! I have some room for fluff too, if you have any suggestions.**


	4. Hope and a Thing

A/N: I don't own Doctor Who.

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><p><strong>Hope and a Thing<strong>

"Doctor!" Asher yelled as he pulled his blaster on an enemy.

"Asher, run. Go find Amy!" The Doctor was caught on the other side of a line of Martrans. He was trying to sonic open a door that would not budge.

Asher hesitated, his gun shaking in his hand. He let it fall, as half of the aliens advanced on him. "I'll come back!" And then he turned and ran.

The aliens who weren't following Asher were focusing on the Timelord who was intently leaning on the door, hoping it would give way soon. The sonic was hissing at an ear shattering frequency for half a minute before the door finally slid aside.

He let the door shut behind him and took a deep breath. He sonic-ed the door lock, fusing the circuits, hoping that would hold them for a little while. He allowed himself to catch his breath.

The Doctor surveyed the view before him, lines of cells. They weren't the cleanest, nothing like the sterility of Stormcage. He felt like he was in some sort of animal kennel, and the feeling made him shiver.

He did not want to call to her, because he did not know what kind of creatures were in here, or how excitable they might be.

There were very sad looking creatures in the first few cells, all-sleeping. Most looked to be higher-level beings, although none of them took note of him.

No hope. He hated no hope.

The Doctor could not help but go to the bars of one of the cages. "Hello?"

When the alien looked at him, he realized he knew their kind. They had brilliant artwork. They liked colors a lot. Colors were cool.

He had to back away. He could not release everyone. Not right now.

The Doctor kept walking.

He found her in the fourth cell on the right. She was asleep on the bed, that insane hair of hers fanning around her head. He pointed the sonic at the door and the lock clicked.

He locked himself into her cell. The floor was cold as he knelt next to her mattress.

"River," he whispered, leaning closely. He thought about pressing his hand to her forehead, pushing her hair from her eyes. His fingers were at her temple when she stirred.

Her eyes opened, and she smiled at him. It was a lovely smile. The smile of River Song waking up to see him. Then he saw her face fall as remember why she was there.

"Doctor…I need…you _have _to go back and get Ash—" she choked on her words and regrouped, "I mean, you have to go get someone I left behind. He's young, and he was in my care."

She started shaking, and he grabbed her hands.

"I've got Asher." He pulled her into a hug, because she looked like she needed a hug. "Stop shaking. He's with Amy." The Doctor _guessed_ he was with Amy anyway.

River stopped shaking, but she also pulled away from him. "You know who Asher is?"

He saw that brilliant spark of humanity in her eyes. _Hope_.

The Doctor grinned, a little nervously. "He's your son. You have a son, River Song, and you hid it from me, you bad girl."

She returned his smile, although he could see the loss of hope, watch as it withered.

He pulled the DNA readout from his front pocket, glancing over the sheet before handing it to her. The scan made his hearts skip a beat. But he had already figured it out.

"Yeah, River. I know who he is." He swallowed, not sure what to feel.

River did not look at the sheet. She hardly needed to, but this was the Doctor's way of telling her _how_ he knew.

"You don't know who I am," she said, blankly, obviously not sure how to proceed either.

He leaned into her ear, as he liked to do. He enjoyed feeling her hair brush his cheek, and the heat of her near him. "You know my name. And we have a son." He leaned his head against hers. "I know enough."

"But Doctor, that means you've always known…" She shook her head, smiling. "I mean, future-you will have always known."

"Yes," he frowned. "How very complicated." Then he wiped the frown from his face. These thoughts could come later. Time to get out of here. "Now, River Song, I'm sure you've figured out someway to get out of here?"

He jumped off the bed and looked about the ceiling.

"Is the sonic screwdriver broken?" She asked, standing next to him.

"The main door is…uh…occupied. So we can't break out through the front." He unlocked the cage and grabbed River's hand.

They ran further into the prison.

"How is Asher?" River asked as they ran. "Is he hurt?"

The Doctor squeezed her hand tighter. "No. He's quite well."

"Doctor, you seem to be taking this…well. Strangely well. You acted more surprised when I told you that I was pregnant. And that you must've already known."

He laughed. "Spoilers, dear."

"Right," she breathed. "Sorry. I am so careful about spoilers usually."

"I know," he murmured back.

The maze of cages turned out to be just a maze, and there was no discernable other exit…only the main door that was probably breached by now.

"River. We're stuck." He stopped at a dead end, the second they had come to now.

She was still holding his hand, staring at the blank wall with him. "Why would they only have one entrance? If there were a break out, a prison ward might be caught in with a criminal."

"I don't think that this is a prison," he spoke softly, not wanting to disturb any cage occupants near them.

"What?" She tilted her head toward him, and he noticed for the first time how much younger she was than they last met.

"The Martrans. These aliens. They feed off of time energy, and these are their test subjects." He motioned to the world around them. "What I _don't_ understand is why they would take you and not Asher." The Doctor ran a hand through his hair. He let go of her hand as he began to pace. "He's got more energy than you by far."

"Perception filter," River said simply. The Doctor turned to her sharply. "The threads in the hems of his clothes are nanowires. I made him wear those clothes anytime he left our time period. So the aliens sensed his energy signature, sure, but they isolated it to the wrong person. The person with similar DNA who they could see."

"You brilliant woman," he whispered, smiling at her. Then he hit himself in the head and grabbed River's shoulders. "He _changed_. He's in different clothes. They're going to eat him alive." He realized he was too harsh as River's frown deepened. "I mean, we just need to get out of here. Now. All of us."

"What about you? You're bleeding with time energy," she was shaking again. He had never seen River so unsure.

"He's young. Young Time Lords are so much more." The Doctor's voice was almost whimsical.

"Is he then? A Time Lord? You always said we would have to wait until he was older to know for sure." She seemed eager, and the Doctor could not guess which outcome she wanted. Her eyes made him nervous.

"I need to run more tests." He frowned. "Did my older self not tell you?"

"You said that knowing would change the outcome."

He hit himself in the head again. "Right. I'm thick sometimes. I haven't been young in _so_ long!" He paced in front of her. "The time stream knows Time Lords, and it can kind of choose to latch on or not. That's nothing like how it actually is, but it's a good mental picture anyway. A half-human Time Lord could be overlooked by the vortex, you could say."

"But genes can't change."

"Oh River, you're from the 51st century. You've seen creatures with fourth dimensional genes, surely? The genetic molecules shift through that fourth dimension, changing in the first three. Essentially, Asher's regeneration genes are in flux, since he has two species within him. Or…they _were_ in flux. They should be settling now." His throat grew dry at the thought of another Time Lord. A child. A son.

Lovely River of course saw his nerves. "Sweetie, calm down." She put a gentle hand on his face. "Let's get out of here."

He put his hand over hers and nodded. "Yeah."

"What's your plan?" She asked, pulling out her blaster.

He frowned at the weapon but ignored it. He began spinning his screwdriver. "Okay. We are going to have to get caught. You can't kill them all, and I can't trick them all, not when they're on alert like this."

"Alright. Then we trick our way out." River put away her blaster, reluctantly, as they heard footsteps from around the corner.

"We do a thing." The Doctor agreed, and he reached out for her weapon hand, reminding her that he was the only weapon she needed right now.

She smiled at him, knowing exactly what he was thinking. She did not protest and wove their fingers together.


	5. So very human

A/N: I know it's been forever, but I've been out of the country! For over a month. I even when to London, and it was amazing.

Again, I don't own any of this. Also, due to AGMGTW, I will alter the character dynamics slightly from this point on. I actually might re-write a chapter. But for now, Asher does NOT know that Amy and Rory are his grandparents. But the Doctor, River, Amy, and Rory do know. All right, peace out.

Chapter 5: So very _human_

Asher Song could not tell when exactly he realized that _more_ than half of the armed guards were on his tail, but he did feel the increase in danger tickling the back of his mind. He ran raster.

He checked the level of his blaster as he ran. Half full. Half empty. He could maybe take out fifteen or twenty, but that would be on low settings. His aim would have to be perfect.

He was getting tired, and he was not certain he would be able to make it to the TARDIS. It was two levels above them, and he was already getting winded. He wished he had a sonic screwdriver. Maybe he could find another way up than the stairs.

He finally reached the staircase that had brought he and the Doctor to this floor, the containment floor. The door was sealed.

He stared at the lock in disbelief for only a moment before powering up his blaster and turning on the enemies. He would not go without a fight. No matter how much he hated guns, he was a Song, and he was a fighter.

"Put away your weapon, Time Lord." One of the Martrans extended his maroon hand toward Asher, but he had no weapon. His companions fell in line with him, not advancing past the man who was their leader.

"I'm not a Time Lord," he breathed, his voice light from his running. He smiled grimly. "You let the Time Lord go, and he will come for me."

The leader cocked his head, an evil smile spreading across his face. "Time energy is what we specialize in, young one. Your mother tricked us once, but I can taste it on you now. It's…delicious." He advanced a few steps closer, and Asher's hold on his blaster weakened as the alien's words danced through his mind.

"We don't want you dead," the leader continued, his smile lessening. "Sure, we kill often. The energy released when you kill a Fourth Dimensional creature is phenomenal. You though…you're releasing time energy like radiation from nuclear fission."

Asher was very intelligent. He always had been, and he knew that the entire Song family was brilliant. But then he was brilliant in a different way. More natural, and things just flowed through his head…ideas and concepts and _time_.

He had guessed. Of course he had wondered. But certainly that insane man who visited every few months, who talked about how he saved the universe daily, who was an alien from a long dead world was _not_ his father.

"Okay, maybe so. Do you really want to risk imprisoning the child of a Time Lord?" He put away his blaster because at this point he would only be killing to take some down with him, and that was wrong. Also, he was shaking far too much for any kind of accuracy "Or even more, do you want to risk imprisoning the child of River Song?"

The leader winced slightly, but his arrogant smile was back soon enough. "We have heard of the Oncoming Storm and the woman River Song. But luckily, your parents have been detained."

Asher's heart beat faster and he cursed the Time Lord. _He_ had fewer guards after him. "You can't cage them. Not for long."

The leader inclined his head. "Perhaps." Then he took one step closer to Asher, his expression growing serious and his eyes flickering dangerously. "But I can promise that they will not find you."

Asher barely fought as two Martrans grabbed his arms and detained him. Although he made sure to elbow them at any chance he got. They led him back through all of the hallways he had been running just minutes before.

"Perhaps you would like to visit mum and dad first?" The leader asked, conversationally.

Asher desperately wanted to see his mother, but he knew what kind of anger she could harbor. She worked best if her mind was clear.

"Not necessary," he grumbled.

"No? I think they might like to see you. A family reunion of sorts? Although, you have somewhat of an absent father, it seems. Don't you?" The red skin of the alien's face was contorted in glee, and Asher wanted to hit him. More than anything he just wanted to hit him.

Of course, they entered the containment block soon enough, and Asher did his best to appear composed.

"River Song!" The leader leaned against the bars of her door, smiling into the cell.

His mother's eyes were suspicious as she looked at the Martran, but then her eyes found her son.

"Mum, calm down. I'm okay," he said before she could do anything.

"Asher!" She ran to the bars, her hands pressing against them as she peered at him. "What are they doing to you?"

Asher shut his eyes, his emotions overcoming him. He wanted to ask her so many questions, but he couldn't right now. "Mum, just be safe okay? Don't do anything stupid. Don't get yourself killed." It was his mantra that he always said to her before she left on one of her adventures. He opened his eyes as he added a line. "I don't know what I would do if you died."

River's eyes grew terrified at her son's dire words. "Doctor! Get him out!" Her voice was rough and her yell angry.

"River," the Doctor's voice was soft, an attempt at calming, "I can't yet." The Time Lord was in the cell across from his mother. He was leaning against the wall, his head down and his hair in his eyes. When Asher looked into the cell, the Doctor made his way toward the hallway and gently grabbed one of the bars. "I'll get you out, Asher. I don't make promises, ever. But I will try my absolute hardest."

Asher's thoughts flickered from hope to despair, and then his thoughts flickered to the fact that this man in front of him was his father. Did he know? Surely he did, and that was why he reacted to Asher's DNA so violently.

"I'm going to die here, aren't I?" He whispered to the man before him. The brilliant and ancient man. "It's why the older you pretended not to be my father. You knew I would die, and so you never got attached. The ancient Doctor, saving himself from feeling anything."

"I would never—" His other hand grasped a bar, and the Doctor leaned forward as far as he could. "Asher, no. I don't know why I didn't tell you. Not yet. But I—"

"Just leave it," the boy said, his words short. His eyes steeled.

The Doctor opened his mouth but anything that he was going to say died on his lips.

"Listen to him. We are going to get you," his mother said firmly. And her eyes were so strong when he found them again. His frustration softened.

"I know you're going to try." The guards were pulling at him, and he wished he could hug his mother goodbye.

He watched his mother with her insane hair fluffed around her head until the guards forced him to turn around. He closed his eyes and let the guards lead him away.

"Doctor," he heard his mother whisper and strained to hear all that she said. "Can he...if he…regenerate?"

"Does he have two hearts?" the Doctor whispered back, much more loudly than his mother.

"Sort of—" his mother began. But whatever she was going to say was cut off as a door was sealed behind him.

Asher sighed in frustration. He had one heart. He could feel it beating. Alone. But then _why_ would she say "sort of?" And if he was a Time Lord, _why _did he feel so very human?


	6. Check Your Pockets

A/N: I don't own it. Also, I already have the next chapter written, so the updates should get a bit more timely.

Chapter 6- Check Your Pockets

The Doctor watched where the boy-who-might-be-a-Timelord disappeared and then turned to his mother. He cut her off. "Sort of?" He repeated, his voice cracking with his disbelief.

"Well, the second heart's there, but it isn't working." River leaned her head against the bars.

"It sounds like there's nothing flux about him, just confused DNA." The Doctor tapped his fingers against the bars. "His human DNA is too strong."

"_My_ DNA isn't wholly human, Doctor, and I work."

"Do you regenerate?" He asked, peering at her through the bars.

River flinched. "Spoilers."

"This is important!" The Doctor protested. "I need to know as much about his DNA as possible!"

"It doesn't matter right now!" She yelled. "We just need to get him out. There's no way for us to know until it happens. Either way, he's seeping time energy and they're using it and they might just _kill_ him in the process."

"They think he's fully Timelord," the Doctor whispered hoarsely.

"Yes! And Timelords can handle a whole lot more than a human-plus. Trust me, I would know." Her eyes were dark.

The Doctor watched her for a moment, as if he could rip her secrets from watching her. But if that were so, he would understand her much more than he did right now.

"I've got a plan," the Doctor turned from the bars, his confidence seeping back into his walk. "Well a sort of a plan. It's more like a thing. And it will be a plan soon. And River Song, it involves a lot of running and perhaps even some shooting, for you anyways. Are you ready?"

"Always," she nodded with a smirk. It was a small smirk, but it made the Doctor's hearts lighter.

The Doctor reached for his screwdriver, patting his front pocket, but it was not there.

"The guard took it, remember?" River sighed. "You really should get me one of those. I'm a lot better with hiding places." She winked, which made the Doctor's insides go all fluttery, but he ignored that.

The Doctor cleared his throat, covering his blush. "Right. Okay. Do you have some sort of pointy girly hair thing that people always use to pick locks? Girls have those, yeah?"

"Does this hair look like its been tamed at all?" She rolled her eyes.

"Uh. No. Very untamed hair. Crazy curly hair. Why isn't Asher's hair curly? Hmm." The Doctor continued muttering to himself, and River paced.

Suddenly, there was a commotion coming from outside of the containment facility. Both River and the Doctor leaped to their bars watching the door with apprehension.

Then Asher Song burst into the room, his breath short and his face flushed. He sported a cut above his left eye, but his smile was triumphant. He flourished a very familiar sonic screwdriver.

"Guards should watch their pockets," he laughed as he sonicked his mother's cage.

River gave him a thorough but short hug before Asher unlocked the Doctor's cage. "I'm sorry for what I said," the boy muttered, his dark eyes flashing to the Timelord's face for only a moment.

The Doctor patted the boy's head with a pained smile. He wished that he could refute something that Asher had said, but he did not have anything to say. "Right. We need to get back to the Ponds."

Asher proffered the Sonic, which the Doctor took gratefully. "Okay, follow my lead. Ready, Songs?" He smiled at both of them, hiding his doubt.

The mother and son were holding hands as they nodded, and the Doctor noted the gentle care that Asher had for his less-than-gentle mother.

They ran quickly out of the main doors, while they still had the element of surprise. The Doctor was speaking to them as they ran. "You know, the key to success in anything is simply to just go do it. Hesitation will kill you. And so will laziness. You've got to surprise the world. And that means a lot of running."

Asher felt that something was wrong when they reached the lift to the next floor. When they stopped running to ride the lift, he felt a tug of pain in his chest, and he briefly wondered if this was what a heart attack felt like. But no, he was far too young for that, right?

As the Doctor sonicked the door shut to the lift, Asher gave a painful groan before he could stop himself. His hand grasped the rails painfully.

"Asher?" River grabbed his shoulders and looked into his eyes.

He roughly squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm okay. It's just a cramp." He lied.

The Doctor's sonic whizzed briefly, and Asher heard the Doctor's sharp intake of breath. The Timelord began patting him down. The pain in Asher's chest was dull but persistent, and it made his mind move more slowly.

"Doctor," Asher said, his voice a forced calm. "Let's just get back to the TARDIS, yeah?"

"What's wrong with him, Doctor?" his mum asked as her hand began making small circles on his back.

"They've attached an energy drain to him. They must've done it when they first had him prisoner."

"It's got remote activation?" Her voice cracked in disbelief.

"No, it's more of a…if-we-can't-have-him-no-one-can type thing." The Doctor paused his survey of the boy at his neck. "Ah. It's under his skin. Here." He tapped the back of Asher's neck, where his brain stem was. "Can you make it to the TARDIS, Asher?"

"It's in my head?" He whispered as his chest clenched again.

"Yes, why? What else is wrong?" The Doctor grabbed both sides of his head to help him keep it up.

"My heart." He groaned again. "It's my heart."

"Damn." The Doctor swore, repeating a few Gallifreyan curse words. "HE'S NOT A TIMELORD!" He released his frustration to the air.

When the lift finally reached the main bay, the Doctor scooped the teenager up swiftly. "Come on, River. We need to hurry."

Asher's head lolled against the Doctor's chest, and he found himself ignoring his parents' yells as they encountered guards. He was vaguely aware of his mother's gunshots and the Doctor's yelps of surprise as he ran. But mostly, he focused on the sound of the Doctor's hearts.

The thudding of the dual hearts dulled his pain, and he began to fall asleep.

**Note: There may be some Pond Family interaction in the next chapter. :D Yay Ponds!**


	7. A relatively happy family

A/N: Not mine!

**Chapter 7: A relatively happy family**

The next thing Asher heard was the sound of Amy's voice. "But he'll be okay?"

"He should be." That was his mother's voice.

"His heart rate is steady." Rory offered. "Oh! I think he's waking up."

"Asher?" That was the Doctor, his voice very close.

He opened his eyes and shut them again quickly as the brightness of the TARDIS intruded on his pupils. He reopened them, slowly this time, and as he became aware of his surroundings, he found himself coughing.

"Sit up." The Doctor ordered. "You're probably dehydrated."

The Doctor was sitting on his bed next to him, peering down at him with concern. He was in a sort of make-shift hospital set up with a tube in his arm and everything.

"What?" He whispered, his throat raw. "How long have I been out of it?"

As he sat up, his mother appeared over the Doctor's shoulder, her face a mask of concern. "Only a day, Sweetie."

"What happened?"

"The Martrans were using you to drain time energy. You…well, and me and your mother…we're a nice link straight into the time vortex. Imagine it's like trying to get energy from an electrical outlet but you haven't got a plug. Well, you're the plug."

"And that was…what? Killing me?" He hugged his legs to his chest, his mind thinking replaying _"and me and your mother."_

"It thought you were full Timelord, and not just partially." The Doctor's smile was wan. "You're not quite the same plug voltage as I am."

Asher laughed weakly. "This day is ridiculous."

"Can we tell him now?" Amy was tapping River's shoulder.

"Perhaps." His mother sat next to the Doctor and put her hand on Asher's head gently. "Are you up for more shocking information, Ash?"

Asher frowned. "More than the Doctor being my father?"

"He WHAT?" Rory yelped.

"Oh my." Amy whispered.

"Dad. Calm down," River turned away from her son and faced Rory.

"_Dad_? Rory and Amy are…my grandparents?" He abandoned hugging his knees for sitting up straight and peering at the couple who weren't much older than he was. Maybe ten years. He had been told of them, but never as his _grandparents_.

As River kept Rory away from the Doctor, Amy made her way over to Asher and shrugged. "I figured," the redhead smiled. "Well, Asher I just meant to say, Hello! I'm your gran!"

Amy took River's place on his bed. She held Asher's hands. "Your mum had to hide all of this from you…in case you met us in the wrong order when you were a boy. Boys can't quite get time travel straight in their heads, you know? And then it just got to the point that the conversation is hard to have. You shouldn't be mad at your mum."

"I'm not." He whispered.

"Or the Doctor." Amy continued. "I'm sure he has his reasons for lying to you."

Asher nodded weakly.

"The Doctor impregnated my daughter!" Rory was yelling at no one in particular.

"Dad," River was holding his shoulders, keeping him away from the Doctor. "It's okay. I love him."

The Doctor was quite pale, standing behind River with his hands nervously fiddling. "Yes, Rory the Roman, look at Asher! He's a lovely outcome."

"Dad, think about it. If there was anyone in the universe who could handle this man, it would be a Pond, yeah?" River grinned at her father, trying to show him that everything was good.

Rory sighed and dropped his hands. "Okay. Okay. I'm calm. I'm not going to attack anyone."

The Doctor hesitantly smiled. "There we go! No swords necessary! One, _relatively_ happy family, yes?"

"Thank you, dad," River hugged Rory, who looked mostly just very overwhelmed.

Amy was still sitting next to Asher, and they were watching the dramatic three-way showdown with amusement. "Oi, keep fighting! Asher had ten quid on Rory!" Amy protested when her daughter and husband hugged.

"Amy! You bet on the Doctor?" Rory yelped with indignation.

Amy stood and gave Rory a very pouty face. "Only because you don't have your sword with you, stupid face." She pecked him on the cheek, and he seemed to relax.

"No one needs to bet on anyone, though!" The Doctor swallowed nervously. "And no swords!"

Asher shook his head and watched the adults around him. "You are all certifiably insane."

"No way! We're simply not boring." The Doctor gave him a brilliant smile. "Rory, will you get all of the tubes out of him now? I think he's alright." The Doctor looked at the IVs with derision.

"If he promises to relax for a bit. He had a major cardiac episode yesterday," Rory advised as he went to help Asher. The Doctor made sure to give Rory a large berth.

"What exactly happened to me physically?" Asher asked.

Rory sighed as he sat next to Asher. He made for the IV in his arm, pulling the needle out delicately. He met Asher's eyes as he took off the oxygen from the boy's face. "I guess I'm your granddad." Rory laughed, not answering the question. "It's a bit weird, but I want you to know that I do care about you. And I'll always be here if you need me."

Rory shrugged and awkwardly gave Asher a pat on the shoulder. It was at least mildly paternal. "Your heart was being forced to go into overdrive. You aren't quite as equip to handle time energy like the Doctor. You're more like your mum."

"What? Human?" He raised his eyebrows at Rory.

"Oh." Rory sighed and turned to the rest of the adults. "Guys, you have to inform people about things! Honestly."

He turned back to his grandson. "I'm always in the dark too, if that makes you feel any better. You see, your mum isn't completely human either, since she was…err…conceived in the Time Vortex."

Even if Rory and Amy were young, Asher still didn't really want to hear about his mother's conception. So he winced.

"Ahhh!" The Doctor turned away and plugged his ears. "Secrety human stuff! I don't want to hear!"

Rory turned quickly with a stern face. "Doctor, don't even get me started on secrety human stuff. _YOU_ are the one with the child, with _my daughter's_ child."

The Doctor flushed furiously as River winked suggestively at him.

"Oh God," Asher murmured, rubbing his hand down his face.

Amy held her hands up. "Guys! Our descendant is present! Let's keep this somewhat clean, yeah?"

"Thanks, Amy," Asher whispered gratefully.

"No problem. Someone's gotta keep these people in order." Amy put her hands on her hips as she watched the adults, daring them to keep fighting.

"Actually, Amy has a point. Asher should rest. We should give him some space, everyone." Rory spread his arms wide to usher the crowd away.

River ducked under her father's arm and found a place next to Asher. "I would like to talk to you, Sweetie. If that's okay?"

"Of course, mum."

They were alone soon enough, and there was an extended silence before River finally spoke.

"Asher, I trust you more than anyone else in the world. You have to believe that." She grabbed his hands gently. "I've seen whole lives disappear because of time travel. I had to be careful about what you knew. I couldn't lose you."

"I know. I know. I just wish I had known." He frowned. "But maybe it's better I've always thought of the Doctor as a friend. God knows he hurts enough people."

"Asher." His mother's voice was pained.

"Don't pretend like he hasn't hurt you. Don't even try." Asher's voice was colder than he meant, and honestly, he was a little bit afraid of his own reaction.

River met his eyes for a few moments, not objecting. Then she hugged him firmly, holding him very close. Asher let his head rest on her shoulder, and he could smell his childhood in her hair.

"Some things are worth pain," she whispered into his ear.

"I know."

Outside, the Doctor leaned against the doorpost, his hands nervously fiddling with the sonic screwdriver. He listened as River and Asher spoke, his hearts aching.

**Doctor/River next chapter. Probably. :D Reviews are love. **


	8. Eavesdropping

A/N: Summer school is OVER! Hooray! Now, on to important things, like tumblr and fanfiction.

I don't own it, obviously. CAN'T WAIT FOR LET'S KILL HITLER. That is all.

Chapter 8- Eavesdropping

River kissed Asher on the forehead. "Get some rest, okay?"

"I've been sleeping for a day, mum," he reminded her, but honestly, he still felt tired.

"Listen to Rory. Take it easy," she said, pointing at him.

"I can't believe Rory's your dad," he muttered, shaking his head.

River shrugged, with a weak smile. "I didn't have the most normal of childhoods." She sighed. "I'll tell you about it later, okay?"

Asher noted the weary look in her eyes, and the way her shoulders hunched ever so slightly. He nodded at her. "Yeah. Later."

As River walked out of Asher's temporary bedroom, she collided into the Doctor. His sonic screwdriver clattered to the ground, and he yelped. She raised her eyebrows at him.

"Ah," he started speaking before she even said a word. "I was just—uh—coming to talk to Asher. I needed to tell him about—uh, his heart."

He snatched the sonic from the ground and shoved it into his pocket. He continued talking.

"You know, I'd like to run more tests on him. He's got some abnormalities in his rhythms and—"

River placed a gentle finger over his mouth. "It's not nice to eavesdrop, Sweetie."

The Doctor didn't even look surprised. His eyes flashed from defensive to a guarded sadness in a matter of seconds. River removed her finger, and he watched the action intently. "Right. I really didn't mean to hear…I mean, I did listen a _bit_, but it was all very…accidental."

River didn't say anything. Honestly, she liked that he heard them. She hated not being able to tell him what she was feeling or thinking. But she had to deter him from the damn spoilers.

She gave him a pointed look, and he hung his head.

"I have no idea what to do, River." He met her eyes. "This is all so _human_. I'm a _Timelord_, and I'm the last. I can't do this human thing with people because in the end, you all go away."

"Don't even try that line with me. You connect more than anyone else in the universe. Sure, you pretend like you don't." He looked away from her, but she reached forward and turned his face back to her. "And you're afraid now because if there is anyone in this world you could really connect with, it would be your child."

His eyes were unreadable as he responded. "And what about you, River?"

She faltered.

He continued. "Half of the time, you know what I'm going to say before I say it, and it drives me _mad_. But it's sort of like the guns. I hate it, and yet—" He shook his head, as if to clear it.

"_Sweetie_," she stroked his hair a bit. "I know."

"And now _I_ know. What am I supposed to do now? I'm still 'too young.' Yes, I'm biologically Asher's father, but I'm not really…" He twiddled with his fingers and then scratched his cheek. "I mean, you and I haven't…"

As the Doctor flushed furiously, River giggled. "Spoilers."

"Oh god, I shouldn't have brought that up." He coughed.

"Oh Doctor," she brushed his cheek with her thumb. "My Doctor."

He stared at her for a few minutes with a soft expression. Then he gently leaned forward and placed his lips on hers. The kiss was short and sweet and chaste. But as quick as the kiss started, he jumped backwards.

"I'm sorry." His almost looked like he was panicking. He had obviously not thought his actions through.

"No you aren't." River leaned back against the wall opposite him, making sure to keep her eyes locked with his.

Her lack of proximity restored the confidence to his stance, and River smiled. Her Doctor.

"I suppose not, River Song." His uncertainty was fading, and he jerked the hair from his eyes.

"What now, Doctor?" She smiled at him: letting him lead always made him feel better.

He stepped toward her, and she stayed completely still. His hands moved forward slowly, his right hand tangling in her hair while his left gently rested on her hip. He kissed her forehead.

"You're lovely," he whispered. And then he kissed her mouth.

She kissed him back chastely, but he intensified the kiss of his own accord, pushing her more solidly against the wall. She slipped her hands inside of his tweed jacket, pulling his suspenders toward her.

She danced her fingers up to his bowtie, untying it with the deftness of experience.

The Doctor inhaled quickly, stopping his kiss. "Ah." He looked nervous and eyed her hands warily. He rested his forehead on hers, and she stopped undoing his buttons, instead wrapping her arms around his waist under the tweed.

The moment felt infinite. She curled into his warm jacket, and he intensely returned her hug. "River."

After a moment, she broke the silence. "You said something about testing Asher? Or was that a clever lie to get you out of trouble?"

"It actually wasn't a lie. I had no desire to listen to sappy mother-son time. You know, there might've been _tears._" He straightened his back and let his hands fall from her body. "I wanted to use more sophisticated scanners than the sonic. His cardiac episode is more than it seems, I think."

He began redoing his bowtie and straightening his shirt, and River grinned mischievously as he fought a blush.

"Shut up." He frowned. "Your laughing is not very nice."

"You're so cute when you're young," River said with a smile. Then she cleared her face and regained a serious composure. "I know Asher is fine, I can sense when he is in danger, Doctor, you should know that."

The Doctor blinked in surprise. "Oh. You have maternal Time Lord senses." He nods once. "River, you seem to forget that I don't know _how_ Time Lord you are yet."

"_You_ seem to forget that I can't tell you," she countered.

He relaxed. "I know. This is just very frustrating."

River understood, of course, and gave him a weak smile. "So do you want me to go with you? To scan him?"

The Doctor nodded almost before she stopped speaking. "Yes. Definitely, yes."

She furrowed her eyebrows and then grinned wickedly. "Actually," she said, "I think it would be very good for you to talk to him alone."

"River," he moaned. "What if he gets human on me? I think he's very cross with me right now, no matter what he says."

"Sweetie, do not attribute the emotional side of Asher to me. He is _all_ you when it comes to that." She patted him on the shoulder.

"Oi!" He protested. "Asher got very yell-y and angry on that planet! He had a gun even!"

"A gun that he hates to use. And anger when people that he loves are in pain and he can't stop it. That doesn't sound like anyone we know, does it?" River gave him a very solid and very naked look. He felt uncomfortable.

"I'm going to go scan him now," the Doctor said, ignoring her sarcasm and pulling a metallic blue and green scanner from one of his pockets. "This should do the trick."

"Don't vaporize him or anything, please. Or yourself, for that matter," River said, walking away with a devious look on her face.

He glared after her disappearing figure. "No worries about that, I'm the Doctor."

"Yeah, and he is a teenage boy," she called back.

He frowned, remembering that he was a very stubborn young Time Lord, and hoped that Asher was not quite exactly the same as he.


End file.
